The Giant’s Cup Trail Run (GCTR) is a 2-day stage race, set over the 5-day Giant’s Cup Hiking Trail, in the Southern Drakensberg Mountains.

At over 60km in length and often above 2000m in altitude it traverses some of the most magnificent scenery found in South Africa. The trail begins 6km past the Sani Pass Hotel on the left hand side of the Sani Pass Road and finishes 5 days later at Bushman’s Nek Hut which is 2.5km from the Bushman’s Nek Resort…[read more]

Weather conditions

Season: Autumn

Route Information

Distance:

62km

Ascent:

2780m

Terrain

Difficult climbs

Technical Rating: 5

Stage details

Day

Distance

Ascent

Route

1:

33km

1330m

Sani Pass Hotel to Castleburn Farm

2:

29km

1450m

Castleburn Farm to Bushman’s Nek

Entry Fee details

Entry pp from R4350

-3 nights tented accommodation in 3 different race villages with full security provided by a local security company.
- 6 Quality dinners and breakfasts in the three hotels en-route including an awards dinner on the Saturday night.
- 2 Health lunches and freshly prepared smoothies at the finish of each day.
- A variety of soups, hot drinks and snacks in the race villages at the Hot Zone.
- 1 Salomon Jacket, 1 Salomon Tech Running Tee, 1 Salomon Beanie.
- 1 Well stocked goodie bag.
- A bespoke panorama of the Berg along the Giant’s Cup Trail, hand-sketched by local author and general mountain man Dr Tod Collins, to all finishers.
- After dinner entertainment / presentations at the hotels on the Friday and Saturday nights.
- Full access to the three hotel’s facilities including bars, entertainment areas, spas etc.
- An afternoon of cheese and wine tasting on the Saturday afternoon after the finish of the race.
- Nutrition at the various checkpoints along the route.
- Unlimited access to the Hot Zone in all 3 tented camps.
- Sweeping and support along the trail by the Honorary Officers and the Sani Hiking Club.
- Access to full medical support during the event and an evacuation plan overseen by EKZNW that includes horses and a helicopter if required.
- R500 from each entrant will be donated to EKZNW and these funds will be ring-fenced and used on local projects within the Giant’s Cup biosphere.
- Further donations will be made to the Endangered Wildlife Trust as well as the local branch of the Honorary Officers.

Race reviews

http://www.gomulti.co.za/2015/05/26/new-records-at-giants-cup-trail-run-2015/Go Multi: " Beautiful conditions and quadruple the entries are just a small part of the Giant’s Cup Trail Run’s success. Last year only 22 entrants ran the full 63km Giant’s Cup hiking trail in only two days, exploding ......."http://www.thegiantscup.co.za/news/mountain-getaway-gctr-2014-trail-issue-12/(2014) Trail Magazine said: "It felt like a gathering of friends about to do an hour’s training run, not a 62km two-day race. We stood in the new morning’s first warming sunbeams, laughing, joking, looking up at the crisp outline of mountains, and then we were off. Was it a shot? Or a blast, or a whistle? I don’t recall. But I do remember that the air on Sani Pass Hotel’s golf course was near freezing; it was May after all....[read more]"